Wick carburetter



Aug. 27, 1957 c. G. HARD AF SEGERSTAD 2,804,291

WICK CARBURETTER Filed March 2, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I H W ha 77INVENTOR Ca rl yasfaf ffdrgafSeyersfad mwm+ ATTOR I Aug. 27, 1957 c. G.HARD AF SEGERSTAD 2,804,291

WICK CARBURETTER Filed March 2, 1954 3 Sheets-Shaet 3 mm /ml'n 4 I I I I7 NVENTOR Cari g usiaf'flm'd 00 Se erstccol ATTO YS United States PatentWICK CARBURETTER Carl Gustaf Hard af Segerstad, Sandviken, SwedenApplication March 2, 1954, Serial No. 413,597

Claims priority, application Sweden March 21, 1953 11 Claims. (Cl.261-99) The present invention relates to a wick carburetter, atomizer,gasifier or the like, i. e. the type of carburetter comprising acontainer for the substances or materials, which are to be atomized orgasified and a wick or any similar member consisting of two or moreseparate parts made of porous and capillary material and adapted totransport the said substances from the container to a chamber or passagefor flowing air or other gases or mixtures of gases.

The wick atomizers hitherto known are attended with severaldisadvantages. Thus the possibility of controlling the quantity ofsubstances atomized in a certain time unit is extremely limited and thisquantity is further dependent on the level in the container.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce a wickcarburetter in which these and other drawbacks are eliminated and whichthus is capable of being set, which can be and is adjusted to deliveratomized or gasified substances at rates which can be varied in verywide limits with great accuracy and can be instantly stopped at will.

Another object of the invention is to produce a wick carburetter whichcan, when desired, be put out of action momentarily or instantly.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel featuresof construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In order that persons skilled in the art, to which my invention relates,may understand my invention I will now proceed to describe it referringto the drawings herewith in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and,

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the carburetor ofFigures 1 to 3.

The reference character 1 designates a container for a liquid 2 which isto be atomized or gasified and a cover or cap 3 closes the top of thecontainer, and is mounted by means of threads. Cap 3 has a horizontalrectangular canal or passage 4 for the medium, i. e., a gas or gasmixture or compressed air, to which the atomized or gasified liquid isdelivered. The passage 4 has cylindrical threaded end portions 11forming connections for gas lines or tubes for the gas or gas mixture,and the gas flow is as indicated by the arrow. Cap 3 also has a wickrecess or hole 3a, the cross-section of which is rectangular and whichforms a connection between the passage 4 and the container 1. Snuglyreceived in the recess 3a is an upper wick or wick part 5, the upper endportion of which is oblique or inclined (see Fig. 3) while the lower endis substantially flush with the bottom surface of the cap 3. The arrowin Fig. 3 indicates a suitable flow direction of the gas. Therectangular sectional form of the Patented Aug. 27, 1957 portion ofpassage 4 surrounding the upper end of the wick 5 (see Fig. 1) insuresefficient action.

A screw 8 in the cap 3 is rigidly fastened to a plate-like wick-holdingmember 7 having substantially the form of a segment of a disk, and beingprovided with a downwardly projecting tubular portion 7a thecross-section of which corresponds to the rectangular section of thehole 3a. In this portion 7a is snugly positioned and fastened a lowerwick 6, the width of which increases in the downward direction. Anangular bracket 9 fastened to the cap 3 by a screw 10 extends beneaththe edge of member 7 and serves as a support therefor.

The oblique form of the upper end of the upper wick 5 serves the purposeof increasing the rate of delivery of liquid to the passing air or gas.The downwardly increasing width and cross section of the wick 6 assuresan efiicient supply of liquid for all operating conditions, irrespectiveof the liquid level in the container. As indicated in Fig. 3 by sectionlines, the wick 5 consists of a less porous or tighter material than thewick 6, and this further insures an eflicient supply of liquid to thewick 5 which simultaneously delivers a very finely atomized liquid tothe air or gas. Cellulose sponge or webb, i. e. Wettex has proved itselfas an outstanding wick material, but other porous materials may be usedwhich are capable of providing a capillary action, for instance ceramicor textile or fibrous material.

At the relative position of the wicks 5 and 6 indicated in the drawingsthe contact surface between them is maximum and the output of thecarburetter likewise is maximum. As readily will be seen, it is possibleby turning the screw 8 to set or adjust the wicks in other positions,more or less displaced or adjusted in relation to each other, whichinvolve a greater reduced output of the atomizer. In the position of themember 7 and the wick 6 indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the wicks 5and 6 do not engage each other at all, the wick carburetter thus beingcompletely inoperative. A total inactivity of the carburetter is in thisposition insured by the plate member 7 which covers the opening of thehole 3a and the lower end of the wick 5.

Due to the mounting of the member 7 on the screw 8 the member itself aswell as the wick 6 accommodated therein will, when adjusted or set forthe maximum atomizing effect, press upon the cap 3 and the wick 5 with agreater pressure than in the positions for a lesser atomizing effect.One or both of the wicks may be actuated by elastic means which tend tourge the wicks resiliently against each other whereby e. g. any effectof worn parts is eliminated.

The diagram shown in Fig. 4, which illustrates an actual test, shows thevolume of liquid atomized per time unit, indicated as mm. /min. as afunction of the degree of opening of the wick atomizer, i. e. theproportion or relation between the actual contact surfaces the wicks andthe greatest possible or maximum contact surface.

In the figure, the value 0 indicates that the wicks do not touch orcontact each other, and the value 1/1 indicates that the surface ofcontact between them is maximum. The wick consisted of so called Wettexcellulose cloth, and the liquid is lubricating oil the viscosity ofwhich at 20 C. is 10 E. As will be apparent from the diagram the highestor maximum output attained was about 60 mm. min. while when the atomizerwas shut no oil delivery could be observed. This is of importancebecause it is often desirable to interrupt the oil supply for longer orshorter times in the operation of devices driven by compressed air.

It is to observe that the present invention is not limited to theembodiment shown and described above because other embodiments arepossible within the scope of the invention. Thus embodiments arepossible in which the number of the wick parts is three or more in ordere. g. to obtain very high or special effects.

In the embodiment described herein one of the wick parts is immovable orstational and the other one movable. Embodiments are also possible inwhich both or all of the wick parts are either movable or immovable. Inthe last mentioned case a plate member may be adapted to be movedbetween the wick parts, thereby more or less restricting the passage ofthe substance or substances in question which are capable of beingatomized.

The above described member 7 or any corresponding member may instead ofbeing turnable, swingable or rotatable, advantageously be movable oradjustable in a more or less straight line direction.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A wick carburetor comprising, a container providing a chamber forliquids which are to be gasified and delivered to a gas stream, a wickconstruction comprising, a plurality of wick parts which are seriallypositioned in contact with each other and are of material capable ofproviding capillary action of said liquids, said wick constructionhaving one end positioned within said chamber and the opposite endextending therefrom, means forming a passageway for a gas stream andproviding for the flow of the gas stream past the last mentioned end ofsaid wick construction whereby liquid is delivered to the gas stream,and a movable member mounted to move in a direction transversely withrespect to the general direction of the fiow of liquid from a positionwherein said wick parts are in contact with each other to a positionwherein the flow of liquid is interrupted from one of said wick parts tothe next, said member being effective when moved between its two extremepositions to gradually reduce or increase the effective contact betweensaid wick parts.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said wick parts are two innumber and have co-extensive contacting ends, and wherein said movablemember moves substantially in the plane of said co-extensive contactingends.

3. Apparatus as described in claim 2 which includes stationary meansproviding a fixed mounting for one of said parts of said wickconstruction and wherein said movable member includes sleeve meanssupporting the other of said parts.

4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said movable member ispivotally mounted upon said stationary means and said stationary meanshas an opening therethrough forming said passageway.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 which includes a pivot shaftproviding the pivot mounting for said movable member and having aprojecting end by which said movable member may be turned. 7

6. Apparatus as described in claim which includes a bracket mounted uponsaid stationary member and providing support for said movable member.

7. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said wick construction hasan end portion projecting into said container which is tapered with theincreased cross-section at the extreme end.

8. Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said wick construction hasparts of material of different density.

9. Apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein the portion of said wickconstruction positioned within said container is of lesser density thanthe portion exposed to the gas stream.

10. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of, meansforming a chamber for a body of liquid to be gasitied and delivered toanother gas, a wick construction formed by a pair of wick parts one ofwhich has one end positioned to be within said body of liquid and itsother end positioned to abut one end of the other of said wick partswhereby the liquid from said body of liquid flows therefrom by capillaryaction serially through said wick parts to the other end of said otherwick part where it is delivered to said other gas, means to pass saidother gas into contact with said other end of said other wick part, andmeans mounting the said abutting ends of said wick parts for relativemovement with respect to each other in a direction substantiallycoincident with the general plane of abutment of said ends whereby themovement produces a gradual variation in the portions of said ends whichare in contact with each other thereby to vary the cross sectional areathrough which liquid flows from one of said wick parts to the other.

11. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of, meansforming a chamber for a body of liquid to be gasified and delivered toanother gas, a wick construction formed by a pair of wick parts one ofwhich has one end positioned to be within said body of liquid and itsother end positioned to abut one end of the other of said wick partswhereby the liquid from said body of liquid flows therefrom by capillaryaction serially through said wick parts to the other end of said otherwick part, means forming a passageway for a gas stream to flow past saidother end of said other Wick part, said abutting ends being rectangularin cross section with one dimension being substantially greater than theother, means mounting the said abutting ends of said wick parts forrelative movement with respect to each other in a directionsubstantially coincident with the general plane of abutment of said endsand of the greater of said dimensions whereby the movement produces agradual variation in the portions of said ends which are in contact witheach other thereby to vary the cross sectional area through which liquidflows from one of said wick parts to the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,012,494 Wilson Dec. 19, 1911 1,275,563 Jones Aug. 13, 1918 1,601,185Moench Sept. 28, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 562,594 Great Britain July 7, 1944

